The Association Innovation Blog by Jeff De Cagna

New TAIB poll: Obstacles to innovation

I have posted a new poll on the blog.  Please visit and cast your vote.  The question is an important one and it will be interesting to see the results:

Which of the following is the biggest obstacle to innovation in your organization?

+The inability to conceive of new strategic options
+The inability to move resources away from decaying programs
+The inability to question what the organization currently does
+The inability to see a different future

BTW, in the last TAIB poll, Google edged out Apple as the company that readers associate with innovation.  3M was a distant third.  Many thanks to those of you who voted.  Please vote in our new poll!

Innovation: Much more than technology

I received the March 7 issue of Fortune in today's mail and it includes the newest list of America's Most Admired Companies.  Among the lists that Fortune put together is a top ten list of companies for innovation.  The list is below:

• Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (pipelines)
• FedEx
• Apple Computer
• Starbucks
• Alcoa
• Nike
• Fortune Brands (home equipment and furnishings)
• Pactiv (packaging and containers)
• American Express
• Procter & Gamble

What do you notice about this list?  Well, for one thing, only one technology company is in the top ten.  You also have seven consumer brand companies on that list, three of which (Starbucks, FedEx and P&G) are in the overall top ten of the most admired companies.

One final note on the overall top ten:  eight of those companies are ranked in the top 3 in innovation in their industry categories.  The only two that aren't?  Dell (#1 on the overall list but #7 in innovation in the computer/office equipment industry group) and Microsoft (#8 overall and #4 in innovation in the computer software industry group).  Interesting...

Technology contributes mightily to innovation, but it's time to abandon once and for all the clearly invalid assumption that only technology companies are interested in or capable of innovation.  Innovation is about creating value for customers along multiple dimensions, not merely in the realm of gigabits and terabytes.  I think that association leaders are beginning to get this message.

No Associations Unorthodox podcast today

As I continue to try and build an audience for my podcasts on Associations Unorthodox, I like to keep TAIB readers aware of what is going on with that blog.  I have adopted an every-Friday recording schedule, but today I am still recovering from a bad cold and I have decided to postpone recording another podcast until Monday.

I hope that TAIB readers will jump over to Associations Unorthodox and subscribe for updates.  (By the way, if you're already a TAIB subscriber, putting yourself on the Associations Unorthodox subscriber list won't mean another e-mail.  You'll still only get one message for any and all posts I make to either blog on the same day.)

At the moment, I am talking about the book, The Future of Work, by MIT professor Thomas W. Malone on the Associations Unorthodox blog.  In my next podcast, I will discuss Chapter 5 of the book, "Harnessing Democracy."  You can post your comments on any part of the book either in text or through the new audio comment line.  I hope you'll join the conversation!

FREE Learning Opportunity: March 15 session on Google

I'm pleased to announce that on the morning of March 15, 2005, I'll be facilitating a free session for association leaders on Google and innovation that will take place at the headquarters of the Special Libraries Association in Alexandria, Virginia.  If you're going to be in the DC area that day, I hope you'll consider attending.  You do need to register online, and when you visit that page you'll find more information on the session, as well as a link to detailed directions to SLA.

If you have any questions, send me an e-mail.  I look forward to seeing you there!

A new post/podcast on Associations Unorthodox

Just wanted TAIB readers to know that I have put up a new post/podcast on my Associations Unorthodox blog.  Over the next few weeks on that blog, I'll be posting about the book, The Future of Work:  How the New Order of Business Will Shape Your Organization, Your Management Style, and Your Life by Thomas W. Malone.  On March 9, I will be facilitating the next ASAE Book Club on Professor Malone's book, and I want to take the opportunity to use this new blog and the podcasting option to create a richer and more interesting experience for everyone.  I encourage you to check it out and consider subscribing for regular updates!

Great Ideas Phoenix: Update

A post on GI Phoenix. A solid, good conference. Strong venue in the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass resort. All in all, I had a great time, mostly because I hung around and laughed alot with people I genuinely admire and respect. For those of you with whom I spent time during GI, it is a great honor to know you.

The audio post is just under 12 minutes in length.

A warm welcome to my Mom!

This blog post is really only for my Mom (although anyone can listen to it) because she is visiting The Association Innovation Blog for the first time next week. So, Mom, welcome to the blog. I love you and I want to thank you for everything you've done for me throughout my life. I hope I've made you proud...

Very cool stuff!

Just in case you're looking for a way to make some of your favorite photos even cooler, I wanted to let you know about a site I recently found on the Web called iPod My Photo.  You just submit a photo online and the company will convert it to something that looks like an Apple iPod ad.  You can choose the caption and you have the option of having an iPod added into the image, as I have done here.  (Quite obviously, this is a picture of me with my bestest puppy, Wilbur!  Photo credit to my mom btw.)

The cost is $19.95 per photo which is pricey, but they do a good job.  I would do it again and I think there are probably many creative ways associations could use these "ipodded" photos.  Just something to think about...

Associations Unorthodox Launches Today!

I am incredibly excited to announce that today I have launched my brand new podcasting blog, Associations Unorthodox!  What makes this blog different is that all of the posts (with the exception of an occasional informational post perhaps) will be in an audio format.  You'll be able to listen to the posts online and, even better, you'll be able to access a podcasting feed so you can download those posts to your iPod or MP3 player.  My first podcast in online right now!

As a reader of TAIB, I hope you will also take a listen to Associations Unorthodox.  I'll be using this new communications medium to engage our community in a conversation that challenges the conventional wisdom and prevailing orthodoxy of the association community.  My goal is to create new strategic options for associations that can help our organizations not simply survive but thrive in the 21st Century.

Spread the word about Associations Unorthodox to your friends and colleagues in the association community.  We're entering a new phase of the discussion so get ready to be a part of it.  And remember to always listen carefully! 

New TAIB poll

Please take note that I have posted a new poll today on the right side of the blog.  The poll asks, "Which company do you most associate with innovation?" and offers five choices:

• Apple
• Dell
• Google
• Southwest
• 3M

If you have other companies/organizations you would like to have considered for future polls, just post a comment with the name of that company and your arguments on its behalf!  And please vote!